The True Nature of Nature
by pikachuhunter1
Summary: Have you ever wondered what drives nature? What makes it so incredible? For troubled teen Melissa Wagner, this becomes a terrible reality as she discovers the secret about a certain Yanma.


**A/N: **This idea jumped into my head and I simply just had to write it. I was reading short stories by my favorite author, Neal Shusterman, when it happened, but, trust me, this is entirely original. You get a cookie if you can analyze this piece to find the deep meaning. Feedback is appreciated. Especially constructive criticism.

_The True Nature of Nature_

Silently, Melissa Wagner walks quickly through the dark of the forest behind her house. She shivers violently as she pulls her jacket close, trying to ward off the winter chill. She glances back to see her house, totally succumbed to the shadows of the night. That is, all except for one window. On the second floor of the red brick house, in the center, golden light streams out. Melissa can see two figures in the room, fighting. She flinches when she hears the shattering of glass and angry screams.  
They are her parents.

For the past year, this has been almost a daily event. Every day, all would seem well. Normal conversation at dinner, some time spent in front of the television, bed at a reasonable time- typical sort of family stuff. But then…Melissa's eyes would crack open at odd hours of the night and morning, her sleep disturbed by the raging of her parents in the room next door. She didn't know why her parent's fought, or why every day was so normal until the darkest hours. What she did know was this:

It was driving her insane. She had begun to sleep in her classes, missing out on information essential to passing her tests. She hadn't been a stellar student before that, but still, Cs were better than the D-s she received now. None of the "always caring" teachers at school ever questioned her about her home life to figure out what was causing the bad grades. She figured they probably thought she was staying up too late while playing videogames. If she didn't know herself, she'd say the same thing. After all, she had a variety of videogame tees she wore to school every day. Their ignorance, however, only brought her lower. She felt alone much of the time, especially at home.

After many weeks of thinking about it, Melissa came to a final conclusion. She would run away. Her parents had never allowed her to begin her Pokemon journey, but she knew from the television and stories about siblings from the students at school that it was a very rewarding experience and easy to get started in. Going on a Pokemon journey would be perfect for her.

She had planned everything long before she left the house. She had at first thought to write a letter for her parents, but decided against it- she didn't want her parents on her so soon, after all. Next, she saved up her weekly allowance in order to buy both a Poke Gear and three Poke Balls. She'd heard on the television that other trainers were required by League law to give the winning trainer in a battle money, so she figured she'd gain most of her necessary income from that.

The only problem left then was the one most essential: her first Pokemon. But even that wasn't a serious problem. Of course, there was no chance she was going all the way to New Bark Town to speak with Professor Birch; that would be a journey in and of itself, since she lived in the suburbs of Goldenrod City. She had a much better idea. One of her friends at school had a pet Houndoom who had recently given birth to six Houndour pups. Melissa told her about her plans, and she agreed heartily to giving her a Houndour to start out with. "Just promise me that you treat her with lots of love!" she'd cheered. Melissa was more than willing to comply. After all, she loved Pokemon.

With warm glee filling her heart, Melissa turned from her home and dashed through the powdery snow, her footsteps leaving small prints. The weather report called for more snow by midnight, so she trusted that her prints would be covered if her parents checked in the morning. She smiled to herself; she really had thought of everything. Now there was nothing between Melissa Wagner and freedom from her tension-filled home!

Except...there was one thing she hadn't planned on.

* * *

Melissa was well on her way through the forest, heading toward Goldenrod City, where her friend with the Houndour pups lives. She walks with the road close enough to her right that she could retreat to it if needed. Cars fly by every now and then, but for the most part, she is alone. About halfway into her trek, however, she hears something strange.  
Behind her, a weak buzzing noise rings out. She freezes, and immediately thinks of Beedrill. But...no, the Beedrill rarely emerge in the depths of winter. She listens again, and this time the buzzing is stronger, but somehow more broken.

Melissa Wagner would be the first to admit that she didn't know the first thing about nature and how it worked. She couldn't imagine how mighty mountains could form over years and years with the onslaught on earthquakes. Nor could she understand how the green forests thrive so beautifully next to ugly, pollution-filled cities. It was far beyond her, and she was fine with that.

Occasionally, she'd sit on her her back deck and stare at the sky, forming Pokemon out of the stars. Her father called them Constellations. Stars. Burning balls of fire millions of miles away. Light years. Melissa would think about these things for hours, trying to figure how it all came together, but, in the end, she just couldn't understand.

Until the night when she heard the sound of buzzing.

* * *

She retraces her steps rapidly as the buzzing gets louder and more desperate. She scans the ground, looking for the source of the noise. As she draws closer, cold begins to clutch at her. The forest is changing. The trees here are typically green, but as she advances, the trees seem to have the life sucked out of them. Their branches fall heavily to their sides, green leaves a sickly yellow. The ground seems parched, even with a layer of snow.

She sees a small lump in the snow ahead, and all buzzing ceases. She runs and kneels before the tiny, motionless figure. She recognizes it instantly- a Yanma. She was well acquainted with the species; they were always flying around back home. This one, though, this one was different.

Its pinks and greens were dimmed with gray sickness. The stench of nearby death rose from its body. These, however, were not what struck Melissa as strange. It was the grass. Grass protruded from its body everywhere. Wilted flowers and even small fruit emerged from its back. This was unlike any Yanma she had ever seen before. She reaches for it, and slowly cups it into her hands.

The moment she touches the Pokemon, it moves. It lifts its head and looks directly into Melissa's eyes, studying her. She is shocked by the movement, and attempts to throw the insect and run away, but finds that she is locked in position. Frozen, she watches as the Yanma buzzes softly.

"Y-Yan..." it whispers brokenly. Moments later, Melissa is no longer hearing the noise of a dying Pokemon, but rather the sound of a voice in her mind. "I am the Guardian of this Forest," says the faint voice. The Yanma quivers in her hands. "But, as is true of all Guardians, I cannot live forever... I must select someone to pass on the duty of Guardian."

"Let me move," she thinks back to the voice frantically. "Don't hold me like this!" She pushes for control, struggling against the heavy hold.

"Very well," answers the voice, and Melissa is released. She drops the Yanma as she leaps to her feet, her eyes wide with fear, but she does not run.

"Who are you?" she screams. The voice in her mind chuckles.

"I've told you already, haven't I? I am the Guardian of this Forest. I am the Yanma you just threw to the ground. I am a Regulator of Nature." Melissa stares at the small creature, her mouth wide.

"You-Your illness...the trees...the blizzard!" she stutters as she backs away slightly.

"Yes," it mutters, "when a Guardian is close to death, its charge will suffer...This is why I cannot die without passing on the title of Guardian. You, human, will receive my gift."

"No...no! I don't want to! I don't understand! You can't just throw me into this!" She turns from the Pokemon and runs as fast as she can, but merely feet later she hits an invisible barrier.  
"Nature's will is far above your own, human. And you will understand. In only minutes, you will understand. Rejoice, for you have been selected by Nature herself to take up the task of Guardian. Few get the chance." With that, a bright light erupts from the Yanma and wind whips around the two. The old trees around them shake and groan, losing leaves to the supernatural wind.

Melissa is forced to the ground, wailing as light encompasses her. "I want to go home!" she screeches as she digs her fingernails into the parched soil. It is the last thing she says before she disappears into Nature's light.

* * *

Legends speak of a strange girl who walks in the forest around Goldenrod City. They say she has grass in place of hair and flowers in place of clothes. Some even claim that she has large wings made of branches and grass that she can use to fly at will. No one knows if she is a monster, or a spirit, or a human who has lost her way, or even a strange sort of new Pokemon...and when they try to find out anything, she flees.

The one thing everyone knows, however, is that the moment she appeared, the forest gained incredible life that it hadn't possessed for nearly a century.

As far as they were concerned, what could be better than that?


End file.
